Flashcards
Herps final exam
Cards in this deck (200)
- 1Which group of vertebrates is the most and least speciose?"Fishes" - 31,000
Mammals - 5500 - 2How may species of amphibians and reptiles are currently described?Amphibians - ~7000 species
Reptiles - ~10,000 species - 3What are three main characteristics of amphibians?1) Moisture-dependent
2) Thin skin
3) Complex lifecycle - 4What are three common modifications to the amphibian lifecycle?1) Larvae bypass metamorphosis, maturity with larval morphology (paedomorphosis)
2) Skipping the larval form: eggs hatch into juvenile which matures into adult (DD)
3) Live-bearing (ovo)viviparity: almost always bypasses larval stage - 5What are some characteristics of apodans?-tropical
-limbless
-large-mouthed
-small, poorly developed eyes
-Sensory tentacle
-Direct development
-205 species. - 6What are some characteristics of salamanders?-Diverse habitat preference
-Aquatic or terrestrial
-Most present in NH
-Elongate, usually with four limbs
-Some evidence of paedomorphosis
-Around 695 species - 7What are some characteristics of anurans?-Most widely distributed clade
-Found everywhere except polar regions, oceanic islands
-less morphologically diverse, but extreme reproductive diversity
-Some have parental care
-use vocalization during mating
-morphologically distinct larvae - 8What are three main characteristics of "reptiles"-less moisture-dependent
-thicker, more keratinized skin
-amniotic egg (must hatch on land) - 9What are some characteristics of turtles and tortoises?-Widepread, except further north
-346 species
-Shell and carapace
-Both marine and terrestrial - 10What are some characteristics of crocodilians?-25 species
-Variation in shape of the snout and heada
-Aquatic
-Have body armour
-Muscular tail for swimming
-all tropical/subtropical - 11Lizards-# of species?
-Arboreal and terrestrial species
-some have reduced or absent limbs - 12What are some characteristics of amphisbaenians?-Usually borrowing
-196 species
-limb reduction, elongate body shape - 13What are some characteristics of snakes?-3619 species
-limbless
-variation seen in body form: elongate + thin to short + thick
-Arboreal, ground dwelling, and aquatic spcies - 14What does squamates encompass? How about lepidosaurs?Squamates: amphisbaenids, lizards and snakes
Lepidosaurs: squamates + tuatara - 15How many species of amphibians and reptiles does BC have? What about Canada? Are any endemic?Canada: 98 species
BC: 39 species
No endemics. - 16Where are the most species on amphibians found in BC?Near the southeastern border, as well as VI
- 17Where are the most reptiles found in bc?Extremely concentrated towards the south, distribution does not extend as far north as amphibians. Species are primarily found along the south border of the province.
- 18Which frogs is the only one in NA to cross the arctic circle?The wood frog
- 19Why study amphibians and reptiles?1) Natural part of diversity
2) Conservation issues, rapid decline
3) Consequences of ectothermy
4) Economic importance
5) Alien species
5) Model organisms for various areas in biology - 20What happens to mass-corrected metabolic rate as body size increases?As body size increases, mass-specific metabolic rate declines
-the lower size limits for ectotherms are below those of endotherms - 21What is the tradeoff of feeding strategies?Mammals (endotherms) frequently feed on small meals (low cost of digestion, but high metabolic rate between means)
Reptiles: feed on large meals infrequently. They must spend a lot of energy to digest these meals, but their metabolic rate is VERY low - 22What does each feeding strategy correlate to, in terms of hunting strategies?Infrequent eaters: typically sit-and-wait predators
Frequent eater: typically active foragers - 23Why do we need stem-based names?Stem-based names allow us to include extinct and fossil groups
- 24What is the difference between direct development and paedomorphosis?Direct development: losing the larval stage
Paedomorphosis: losing the adult morphology - 25Why are amphibian eggs small?-SA/V ratio, diffusion, availability of O2
-Strength of the membrane
-Thickness of gelatin envelope - 26How do amphibians combat the problem of decreased O2 availability in water?-Dispersed egg masses: shapes like strings, flat sheets, perforated egg masses, foam nests
-symbiotic algae - 27What happens to the partial pressure of oxygen as egg size increases?The partial pressure of oxygen decreases with increasing egg size, and oxygen pressure drops more slowly when you have a thinner membrane.
- 28What is true of the partial prpessure of oxygen in the interior of an egg mass?Partial pressure of oxygen is near zero, embryos cease development or die
- 29If an egg mass decreases exposure ofof some amphibians to oxygen, why have it?It may provide thermal benefits and protection from predators
- 30What are the main evidence for monoplyly in amphibians?1) Pedicellate teeth
2) Opercular apparatus
3) 2 occipital condyles
4) Glandular skin - 31What is the group lissamphibians?Lissamphibians: a crown group defined by living amphoibians
- 32What are characteristics of Gymnophiona?-Elongate bodies
-Limbless
-Reduced/absent eyes
-left lung often reduced/absent
-Tentacle: specialized chemosensory organ between eye and nostril - 33What is the reproductive mode of gymnophiona?-Internal fertilization
-both oviparous/viviparous species
-Viviparous species: no placenta
-post-partum care: mother skin feeding - 34What is skin-feeding?-Seen in caecilians
-a form of parental care
-young have specialized dentition to peel and eat outer layer of mother's modificed skin - 35What method of reproduction do most salamanders use?Internal fertilization via a spermatophore
- 36What does gill length of salamander larvae correlate to?Long gills: species inhabit slow-moving warm water with low oxygen content
Short gills: species inhabit rapidly moving cold water habitats with lots of oxygen - 37What is gynogenesis?A form of hybrid reproduction. A hybrid forms between two parental species consisting of only females. The male of a parent species provides sperm, but it is not incorporated into the offspring, it just stimulates cloning of the parent
- 38Which amphihbians show gynogenesis?Some ambystomatids.
- 39What correlates to gynogenesis?Lower temperatures
- 40What is Kleptogenesis? Who uses it>Reproduction by gynogenesis-type or hybridogenesis-type mechanisms, but with at least occasional incorporation of sperm-derived DNA into an otherwise clonal lineage
-seen in some Ambystima - 41What are some characteristics of plethodontids?-Most speciose and diverse family, with extensive radiation in neotropics
-All with sexual reproduction - 42What are shared derived traits of plethodontids?-absence of lungs
-nasiobial groove
-elaborate tongue projejction - 43what is the function of the nasolabial groove?-conducts chemicals to the nasal apparatus
- 44How does tongue projection evolve? or occur?/1) Lung loss" the hyobranchial apparature is no longer required to support the lungs and developed other purposes
2) Loss of the larval stage: frees the apparatus to evolve differently. - 45What are ring species? What is a herp example?Plethodontids are ringe species
-species are present in a ring, where species near eachother can interbreed, but species at opposite ends of the ring likely cannot - 46Which salamander species have lost lungs?-Plethodontifae
-Some Salamandridae (chioglossa, salamandrina
-Onychodactylus (Hynobiidae) - 47What are shared features of species that have lost lungs?-Usually bottom swelling, life in fast-moving cold water (high oxygen content)
- 48What are some characteristics of anurans?-reduced skulls
-no teeth on dentary
-tail absent after metamophosis
-caudal vertebrae fused into urostyle
-reduced vertebral column (no ribs)
-elongate hind limbs and feet - 49What is true of frogs that jump and swim well? What about hoppers and burrowers?Walkers/climbers: long forelimbs and hindlimbs
Hoppers/burrowers: short limbs - 50What are some commmon anuran calls?1) Male advertisement
2) Female advertisement
3) Reciprocation call
4) Release call
5) Distress call - 51What type of reproductive character displacement occurs in anurans?The fact that male calls differ between species more in sympatry than allopatry
- 52What are some reproductive characteristics of anurans?-nupital pads in males: seasonal, hormonally controlled in aquatic-breeders
-Amphlexus
-diversity of methods of internal fertilization
-diversity of egg masses and tadpole types
-male (+sometimes female) calls - 53What are the four types of tadpoles (+main characteristic of each?)Type 1 - pipoids (2 spiracles)
Type 2 - Microhylids ( single spiracle)
Type 3 - Ascaphus & discoglossids (suckers, keratinized mouthparts)
Type 4 - Most frogs (ranids, bufonids, hylids) (keratinized mouthparts) - 54What is the main difference between type 1+2 and types 3+4 tadpoles?In the primitive tadpole and types 1+2, feeding and respiration are the same action. In types 3 and 4, feeding actions are more separated from respiration
- 55What type of diversity is seen in anurana reproduction?1) Developmental modes
2) Diversity of parental care
3) most are bisexual, but R. esculenta shows hybridogenesis - 56What are the main methods of parental care seen in anurans?1) Egg attendance
2) Egg transport
3) Tad/young attendance
4) Tad/young transport
5) Tad/young feeding - 57What are advantages of large eggs (as seen in many reptiles?)1) Lower probability of desiccation in air (smaller SA/V ratio)
2) Larger offspring? - 58In which groups is there a relationship between egg size and female body size?-In non-ophidian lizards: relationship between mothers body size and egg size
-no relationship between egg size/mother size in aquatic habitats: smaller eggs are OK because oxygen is not limiting in fast water - 59What are the key features of the amniotic egg?Amnion: surrounds embryo
Yolk sac: holds yolk
Chorion: surrounds embryo and other membranes
Allantois: holds waste
Shell: maintains egg's shape and integrity - 60What are the three main types of reptile shells?1) Thin, flexible shell with little to no calcareous layer (most lizards, all snakes)
2) Somewhat flexible shells with well-defined calcerous layer (many turtles!)
3) Hard calcerous shell (dinos, crocs, some turtles, a few lizards) - 61What are three factors that affect water exchange in reptiles?1) Temperature
2) Water vapour pressure difference between egg and air
3) Water potential difference between egg and substrate - 62What is water potential?Water potential: the tendency of water to move from one place to another, and is determined by osomolarity, matric forces, gravity, mechanical pressure, etc
- 63Which direction will water flow if the water potential of sand is higher than the water potential of the egg?Water will move from the sand into the egg
- 64What role does water potential play fro reptiles?It affects nest site seleciton, as it is the nature of the substrate on which eggs are laid that determines their water-absorbing capacity, rather than the water content of the substrate.
- 65What is a prerequisite for viviparity?Internal fertilization.
- 66What are prerequisites of amniotic eggs?1) Must be laid on land
2) Require internal fertilization - 67What is a turtle's shell composed of?Vertebrae, ribs, and dermal bone
- 68What are some characteristics of turtles?1) Shell + plastron
2) No teeth, keratinized beak
3) Secondary palate
4) Oviparous
5) Most have TDSD - 69What are cryptodara and Pleurodaria?Sister taxa of turtles:
Cryptodaria: most turtles. Folds the neck in on a vertical plane
Pleurodaia: retract heads by folding neck n horizontal plane. Found in australia, SA and Africa - 70What is the shell of soft-shelled turtles composed of? What is its function?Composed of skin and bone, with prptein fibre bundles
-streamlined for increased maneuverability, higher burst spedd
-more efficient transcutaneous respiratory gas exchange - 71What are some defining characteristics of crocodilians?-Diapsid skull with two complete fenestrae
-long snout
-body covered with dermal osteoderms
-thecodont teeth
-Aquatic, long tail
-large secondary palate
-four chambered heart
-oviparous, TDSD, complex social behav. - 72What is the phylogeny of crocs, gavals and alligators?Crocodylidae and Gavialidae are sister taxa. They for a branch that is a sister group to alligators.
- 73What is the function of the secondary palette in crocs? how does it form?-Dermal bone grows across and forms a shelf
-provides a passageway for air from the external to internal nares
-separates breathing and eating functions - 74What other functions does the secondary palate have?-The palate may add increasing resistance to bending and twisting forces on the skull
- 75What are some characteristics of tuataras (Rhynchocephalia, Sphenodontidae-unmodified diapsid skull
-premaxillary beak
-no male copulatory organ
-cloacal opening longitudinal (not transverse)
-intra-vertebral fracture planes in tail
-oviparous - 76What is the sister group to squamates?Rhynchocephalia (tuatara)
- 77What are lepidosaurs?Rhynchocephalia and Squamates.
- 78What are defining features of Squamata?-modified diapsid skull: strepostyly +cranial kinesis
-hemipenes
-limb reduction/loss
-autotomy
-oviparous ad viviparous species, some have parthenogenesis
-TDSD in some lizards - 79What is a difference between surface dwelling and burrowing ecomorhps of snakes? Which is ancestral?Burrowing snakes are thought to be ancestral. They have blunt short tails, while surface dwellers have pointed tails.
- 80What is parthenogenesis?-Species are triploid all-females species that arose through hybridization
- 81What are the three chemosensory systems in squamates?1) Gustation
2) Olfaction (nasal): used for smaller, volatile molecules
3) Vomerolfaction (vomeronasal): tongue delivers molecules to VNO. used for larger, less volatile molecules - 82What does a more highly forked tongue specialize for?A highly forked tongue is more specialized for chemosensory sampling
- 83What are the four types of cranial kinesis?1) Prokinnetic: between nasals and frontals
2) Mesokinetic: between frontals and parietals
3) Metakinetic: between parietals and occipitals
4) Amphikinetic: moth mesokinesis and metakinesis (in "lizards") - 84What is streptostyly?A moveable quadrate bone: seen in snakes.
- 85What are the functions of skull mobility?1) Handling/swallowing food: esp. large prey
2) Increase in gape size
3) Ability to better grasp prey
4) allows greater bite force - 86Why are snakes thought to be long and slender?This is likely an exaptation: the long slender body may have been an adaptation to underground living: coiling up underground
- 87How are organs rearranged in snakes?-normally paired organs are arranged sequentially
-right organ often larger than the left organ
-left lung llost in snakes - 88What are five methods of locomotion in snakes?1) Lateral undulation
2) Rectilinear locomotion
3) Concertina locommotionns
4) Sidewinding
5) Side-pushing - 89What adaptations for eating large prey do snakes possess?1) Cranial kinesis and streptostyly
2) Elastic skin
3) Trachea opening in mouth
4) Specializations for eating hard, smooth-shelled eggs - 90What are the three prey-capture methods seen in snakes?1) Grab and swallow
2) Constriction
3) Envenomation via fangs - 91In terms of streptostyly and cranial kinesis, what were the ancestral conditions in snakes?Ancestral condition was quadrate mobility, then came multiple joints in the skull
- 92What is true about the relationship between species richness and temperature for amphibians and reptiles?Amphibians: no clear relationship
Reptiles: Positive relationship between number of species and temperature
(also true of elevation) - 93What factors influence the species richness and distribution of amphibians, then?Moisture (hydroregulation)
- 94What is a synapomorphy of Lissamphibia?Thin, highly permeable skin
- 95What is the tradeoff of amphibian permeable skin?Benefit: respiratory gas exchange through the skin
Cost: water loss - 96which amphibian species tolerate dehydration best?Terrestrial species are generally more tolerant of water loss than aquatic species.
- 97What is phragmosis?Positioning behind a barrier (or down a hole, etc) as a means of defense. Seen in amphibians.
- 98Which frogs are most resistant to water loss?1) Coccoon-formers
2) Arboreal frogs - 99What is an advantage of burrowing, if you are a frog?-may be able to extract water from the soil, especially if it is a sand-like substrate
- 100How can we estimate age?1) Skeletochronology: annular rings in tail vertebrae
2) Fitting peaks to SVL histograms
3) Release of marked animals of a known age (+Bon bertalanffey curves) - 101In terms of reproduction, what does SVL correlate to?-Positive correlation to litter size
-Positive correlation to number of matings
-positive correlation to clutch mass - 102What can growth rates be attributed to?Growth rates of species can be either plastic or genetic (genetic = lakeshore vs meadow snakes, plastic = mainland vs island females)
- 103What is true about population growth rates?Population growth rates likely mask a lot of individual variation in growth rates.
- 104When is there a tradeoff between growth and reproduction?A tradeoff between growth and reproduction in snakes is more likely when survival is low, and when high reproductive output is adventageous.
- 105What is another key factor affecting size and growth rates?Sex: Males and females can have different growth rates, an can also grow to different adult maximum body sizes
- 106What are some pathways for different animals to gain/lose heat?Through conduction, convection, evaporation, infrared radiation, direct solar radiation
- 107Why are large reptiles restricted to the tropics and subtropics?They could not tolerate the cold season.
- 108What influences variation in body temperature?1) body size
2) behavioural thermoregulation
3) Physiological control (ex: metabolic heat production, circulatory system adjustments, skin colour and reflectivity, evaporative cooling) - 109How do pythons care for their eggs?Most brood their eggs, some generate body heat to help the eggs develop
- 110What are females Tegu lizards capable of? What time of year is this effect seen?Female Tegus can regulate their body temps above ambient, especially during october to january (reproduction and post-reproduction)
- 111What correlates with increased temperature in Tegus?Increased heart rate
- 112What is the difference between heliotherms and thigmotherms?Heliotherms: bask in the sun to obtain heat
Thigmotherms: obtain heat by conduction from the substrate - 113What does the peak of a performance curve correspond to?Typical active body temperatures of animals
- 114What does temperature affect, in squamates?1) Developmental rate
2) Offspring survivorship
3) Proportion of live offsprinng
4) developmental abnormalities - 115What are the three types of TDSD?1a) Males produced at low temps, females at higher temps
1b) Females at low temps, males at higher temps
2) Males are produced at intermediate temps, females are produced at high and low temps - 116how do amphibians and reptiles thermoregulate?Using:
1)Postural adjustments
2) Thermal heterogeneity of the environment. - 117What is regional heterothermy?Body temperature variation in different parts of the body
- 118How do we measure Te?Te: operative temperatures. We set up physical models that mimic the heating and cooling properties of animals
- 119what likely limits northern distributions of amphibians and reptiles?Long, cold winters and short, cool summers
- 120How do non freeze-tolerant amphibians tolerate the cold?by staying underwater or underground.
- 121What is the difference between capital and income reproduction?Capital: stored resources are used for breeding
Income: resources are gained from food that is consistently taken in - 122What is the tradeoff between oviparity and viviparity?Oviparity allows tome free from pregnancy to grow, feed and invest in reproduction
Viviparity allows for care of embryos and therefore increased survivorship, but is costly on the mother - 123What is length of the larval stage in the amphibian lifecycle dependent on?/-Density
-Rate of pond drying
-Temperature increase
-Level of predation - 124What does a predator attack cause in terms of amphibian hatching?/A more synchronous hatching time.
- 125In the absence of a predator, when should an amphibian egg hatch?When the risk of mortality in the egg exceeds that of the risk of mortality in the water
- 126When a predator is present, when should an amphibian egg hatch?the amphibians should hatch immediately, as risk of mortality is greater in the egg than when hatched
- 127What happens as larval density increases?Body weight of larvae declines
- 128What does a growth rate below g mean?A growth rate below g means generally, the animal is not succeeding in its environment and should move.
- 129What is b? And what does b+c mean?b is the minimum size for metamorhposis
b + c is the maximum size for metamorphosis - 130What are five processes that yield safety in numbers (for example, in amphibians?)1) Dilution effect
2) Satiation effect
3) Selfish herding
4) Confusion effect
5) Group vigilance/alarm calls - 131True or false: amphibian hatching time will always respond the same way to different predators:FALSO
- 132What happens to the length of the larval period as temperature changes?At lower temperatures, the period of larval development is generally longer
- 133What happens to the body size of an animal as the larval period changes?As the length of the larval period increases, the mass of the animal increases
- 134What is one way in which a longer larval period can increase body mass of the individual?In spadefoot toads, species with longer larval periods have relatively longer hindlimbs and snouts for their body size.
- 135What is polyphenism?A change in the phenotype of an invidual in response to a stimulus, some are temporary while others are irreversible.
- 136What is an example of predator-induced phenotypes?Anurans can shift their morphology in the presence of dragonflies: the tail is more robust with increased musculature
- 137When are phenotypic responses to predators the highest?Under low competition between individuals
- 138When are phenotypic responses to competition the highest?Under lower predation risk (when competition and predation induce traits in the same direction) and under high predation risk (when directions are opposite)
- 139What is an example of a morphological change in response to high density/competition?in tiger salamanders, some larvae may form into the cannibalistic morph; with a wider gape and more well-developed musculature, shorter intestinal tract
- 140When the mortality risk and growth rate is equal across aquatic and terrestrial lifecycles, what factors will determine the relative length of the aquatic and terrestrial stages?Will depend on how life-history traits are related to body size
- 141What is a common modification to the complex lifecycle in salamanders?Heterochrony: where salamanders may remain in the larval form and attain sexual maturity if aquatic environments are more favourable.
- 142What is the differences between Paedomorphosis and peramorphosis?Paedomorphosis: development is truncated relative to the ancestor
Peramorphosis: development is extended relative to the ancestor - 143What are the three types of paedomorphosis?1) Neoteny (change in rate)
2) Progenesis (change in time development stops)
3) Postdisplacement (change in time that development starts) - 144What are the three types of peramorphosis?1) Acceleration (change in rate)
2) Hypermorphosis (change in time that development stops)
3) Predisplacement (change in time that development starts) - 145What are some main points about heterochrony?1) Can occur via failure to initiate or complete metamorphosis
2) Metamorphosis can be obligate or facultative
3) Facultative paedotypy can be temporary in some species - 146When will paedomorphosis occur?If larvae are greater than the minimum size for paedomorphosis, they should have an advantage when paedomorphic
If larvae are - 147Which two factors may influence proportion of salamanders undergoing paedomorphosis?If predators (specifically, introduced fish were present) and/or the slope of the wetland, and depth of the water
- 148What are some costs of metamorphosis?-energy to remodel
-do not need to relocate between aquatic/terrestrial habitats
-therefore paedomorphs may have earlier maturity - 149What is natural history?the scientific study of the organism in its natural surroundings
- 150Why do horned lizards have horns?Horns, especially long horns, may be an adaptation to counteract shrike attacks ?
- 151What is important to consider when analyzing colour as an adaptation?How other animals see the animal of innterest
- 152In coloured frogs, there is a tradeoff. What is it?The most brightly coloured frogs are the least toxic, and the least brightly coloured frogs are the most toxic.
- 153Why do island and mainland snakes differ?Juvenile snakes are less cryptic on the island with little to no banding, but adults fitness in unaffected by pattern
- 154Why do island snakes have increased size and fecundity compared to mainland snakes?Ever since the introduction of the round gobys.
- 155Which species of snakes can tolerate newt poison? How did this evolve?A few species of garter snakes; this likely evolved 2-3 times independantly.
- 156How is tolerance to poison measured?Measure sprint speeds before and after the injection of poison
- 157Which snakes are more heavily affected by TTX? Why?Snakes that have fasster sprint speeds are more highly affected: likely that there s a tradeoff between sprint speeds and toxin resistance
- 158What is true of thamnophis sirtalis concinnnus?It has developed warning colouration to advertise its toxicity (TTX it has sequestered from toads)
- 159What are the six stages of predation?1) Encounter
2) DEtection
3) ID
4) Approach
5) Subjugation
6) Consumption - 160Why are large snakes more likely to have an injury?1) Larger snakes are older, have lived longer and seen more battles
2) Young snakes have less chance of escape and instead are more likely to be eaten. - 161How does the probability of movement before capture differ from 'naive' and 'experienced' snakes?Naive snakes will stay still longer before moving when a predator approaches, while experienced snakes are more likely to move
- 162In which way is death-feigning nonrandom?Large snakes are more likely to rmain immobilized after being flipped than smaller snakes
- 163What is the tradeoff between speed and death feigning?Snakes that are fast are less likely to death feign, likely because their speed is enough of a defense.
- 164What is polyphenism?/The occurence together in the same habitat of two or more discontinuous forms or phases of a species in such proportions that the rarest of them cannot be maintains merely by recurrent mutation.
- 165What are some mechanisms for maintaining polyphenism?1) Temporal or spatial variaiton in env
2) Migration balancing selection
3) Heterozygote advantage
4) Frquency-dependent selection
5) Correlational selection - 166What is population ecology?The study of how and why populations change in size (ie population dynamics) and what limits their size. In addition, the study of demography and life-history variation
- 167What is Dr. Gregory's preferred definition of a population?An arbitrary unit: defined by the physical boundaries of the environment and the convenience of the ecologist
- 168How do migration rates affect the definition of a population?Low migration rates: may mean a metapopulation of populations, driven primarily by birth and death rates
High migration rates: a population of subpopulations, driven by migration in addition to birth and death rates - 169What are some important population parameters?1) Birth rate
2) Immigration rate
3) Addition rate (dilution rate) (birth rate + immigration)
4) Mortality rate
5) Emigration rate
6) Loss rate (mortality+ emigration) - 170What is the difference between semeloparous and iteroparous reproduction?Semelparity: reproduces once in lifetime, no age structure, cohort = generation
Iteroparous: potential to reproduce > once per lifetime, has age structure, cohort does not equal a generation - 171What is the main tradeoff in reproduction?Litter size versus offspring size.
- 172What are clutch size and egg mass both correlated to?Snout-vent-length of the mother
- 173What breeding pattern do most amphibians and reptiles have?A seasonal breeding pattern.
- 174What is lambda? What does a lambda > or < 1 mean?Lambda = the factor by which population size changes per unit time
=1 means population is stabe
>1 means population is increasing
<1 means population is decreasing - 175What is true of density-independent populations?They are limited (ex: by things such as weather) but not regulated.
- 176What is true of density-dependent populations?As N increases, the population growth parameter decreases. These populations are regulated.
- 177How do density-dependent populations experience decline at high densities?As density increases, death rate increases and birth rate increases
- 178How do time lags affect population curves?Time lag: the delay between an factor and the population's response to it (ex: a high food year will not be evident to affect the population until at least the next year)
- 179Are there any such things as good years and bad years across all amphibians?No. different species respond differently to the same factors each year.
- 180What are two common patterns for amphibian demographics?high-risk (r) (high fecundity, mortality, dispersal, no territoriality) and low-risk (k)(opposite)
- 181What differs between WBNP snakes and interlake MB snakes?WBNP: slower turnover, larger bodied but smaller litter sizes and larger offspring, higher survivorship
- 182What happens to variance in population size as population size increases?Higher the population size, the higher the variance in population size.
- 183Which strategy favours rapid recovery from low N?Fast-turnover: though these species are more likely to reach low population sizes, they can bounce back more quickly than slow-turnover species.
- 184What is the evidence that communal denners are not a distinct population, and more so a part of a larger complex?1) Annual den fidelity is not 1005
2) Some later-summer mating away from dens
3) Origin of first-time communal denners unknown. - 185How can smaller local populations reduce overall extinction risk?Even if the risk of local extinction is high, the risk of overall extinction will remain low. (spreading the risk!)
- 186What are the consequences of movements for population ecology?1) Colonization of new habitats
2) Recolonization of previously occupied habitats
3) Gene flow
4) Defining population boundaries - 187Which animals are a good example of metapopulation dynamics?Pond-breeding amphibians
- 188What are sources and sinks, in regards to the metapopulation model?Sources: high-quality habitat, reproduction exceeds mortality, and surplus indv. are produced
Sinks: low-quality, population would go extinct in the absence of immigration from sources - 189What is the ecological implication of source and sink population dynamics?Species can be maintained on the landscape by reproduction in one or two key populations.
- 190Which snake species' ranges extend the furthest north?Thamnophis sirtalis and boas
- 191How is spermatogenesis decoupled from mating behaviour?Sperm can be produced in late summer, but not used until the following spring
- 192How does sperm storage work in snakes?Both sexes can store sperm: males hold onto it once produced and females hold onto it in their bodies before using it for fertilization
- 193What is shine's maternal manipulation/cold climate hypothesis?Females can manipulate the developmental temperatures of their offspring.
- 194What is the ancestral reproductive condition in squamates?Oviparity thought to be the ancestral condition
- 195What is the role of the placenta in viviparity?transfer respiratory gases, waater, amino acids and inorganic minerals
- 196What are some potential benefits of viviparity?1) Protects effs from env mortalaity
2) no need to find suitable nest sites
3) Allows usage of a range of env.
4) Permits maternal thermoregulation of embryos
5) Permits maternal oxygen supply to eggs
6) Allows extra-vitelline nutrient provision by female. - 197What is viviparity (live-bearing) strongly correlated to?Viviparity is associated with cold climates + high latitudes
- 198How many viviparous and oviparous snake species does canada have?Viviparous: 15 (boids + viperids + natricine colubrids)
Oviparous: 11 (other colubrids) - 199How does body temperature differ in gravid and non gravid snakes?Gravid females maintain higher and more stable body temperatures than non gravid snakes before + during pregnancy, non gravids have variable temps. After pregnancy, temps drop and became more variable
- 200What is true of non gravid females that are fed?Non gravid females that are fede are capable of thermoregulating just like gravid females.
Information
- Description
- Flashcards on Herps final exam, created by Melanie Horne on 06/04/2017.
- Created by
- Melanie Horne
- Views
- 0
- Rating